The punishment is in for John Tortorella — and it's actually not all that harsh.

The Vancouver Canucks coach was suspended 15 days without pay — which amounts to six games — for trying to get into the Calgary Flames' locker room on Saturday night. Flames coach Bob Hartley, meanwhile, was fined $25,000 for his role in the incident that precipitated Tortorella's meltdown — a line brawl instigated by the Flames.

Tortorella's fuse was lit when Hartley started punchers Kevin Westgarth, Brian McGrattan and Blair Jones. Westgarth, specifically, "(instigated) a premeditated fight with an unwilling opponent" on the faceoff in Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa.

So, after the period, Tortorella bolted for the Flames room. It was, in a word, insane — and that's what got him the (relatively) harsher punishment.

"Mr. Tortorella's actions in attempting to enter the Calgary Flames locker room after the first period were both dangerous and an embarrassment to the League," NHL vice president Colin Campbell said in a league release. "Coaches in the NHL bear the responsibility of providing leadership, even when emotions run high, and Mr. Tortorella failed in his responsibility to the game."

It's interesting (and appropriate) that Hartley didn't escape; he shirked responsibility after the game for putting that group of players on the ice, and Tortorella argued, convincingly enough, that he had no choice but to counteract with his own tough guys.

That 's fair. But the locker-room run was not a good look, and the punishment reflects that. An interesting question, though, is whether Hartley would've gotten fined had Tortorella not flipped out; he certainly should've been.

The Canucks released a statement saying they respected the decision, which means Tortorella can't have any contact with the team during his suspension.

"We would also like to acknowledge our organization's full support for John and we look forward to having him back behind the bench soon," they said.